Fever
by izzysenpai
Summary: {A fever disrupts Korra and Asami's vacation in the Spirit World, granting Asami firebending.} Latest Chapter: Korra and Asami journey to the Ancient City of the Sun Warriors in search of enlightenment. [Korrasami. AU. Book 4 finale spoilers.]
1. The Fever

This was it.

The Spirit World was a place she had always wanted to visit ever since she first heard about it as a little girl, and now she was finally given an opportunity to go - one with her dearest friend, nonetheless.

Asami stood in front of the spirit portal with Korra by her side, momentarily soaking in its bright, lime beauty before glancing over towards Korra.

"You ready?" Korra asked with a soft smile curving her lips.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Asami replied as she flashed a smile mirroring Korra's own.

Their eyes never left each other as they reached out for the other's hand and walked forward, stepping inside of the portal and being encased in its vivid light.

Once they turned to face each other, Korra tilted her head slightly, her grin growing more amused with every passing second, "Careful, now. Entering the Spirit World isn't exactly the most pleasant of experiences the first time."

Asami let out a soft laugh, shaking her head playfully, "I'm sure I'll be fine."

The lime color surrounding them intensified, and almost immediately after, Asami could feel a wave of uneasiness wash over her suddenly, causing her to grimace and lose her balance from almost fainting. Luckily for her, she had the Avatar with her to catch her.

"Woah there.." Korra said with a slight laugh, adjusting the engineer in her arms, "C'mon, 'Sami. If you're gonna faint, can you at least wait until I show you something faint-worthy?"

Asami groaned softly, forming another grimace at the flash of heat that coursed through her, but getting to her feet regardless, "When you told me it wasn't pleasant the first time, I didn't expect it to be this bad.."

Korra scratched the back of her neck with a nervous smile, "Yeah...Sorry about that. But we're here!" She said, gesturing out to the field of purple flowers in front of them.

Her focus being elsewhere before then, Asami didn't have a chance to take note of the scenery, but now that she was clear-headed, she took it all in. It was breathtaking, and certainly beautiful. She could feel her eyes widen and lips part in astonishment, all of which Korra noticed.

"Pretty neat, huh? Yet this is only the start!" Korra began, clenching her fists together out of excitement, "There's so much to do, so much to see, and it's all just _stunning!_"

Asami turned her head towards Korra, lips forming a warm smile, "I'm glad I picked the right place for this vacation, then."

The Avatar nodded agreeingly before gazing out to field of fuchsia flowers in front of them. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but they seemed brighter than when she was with Kuvira. Then she remembered how Iroh said that the Spirit World's appearance reflected her feelings, and Korra grew very flustered very fast because of it. Clearing her throat and glancing back towards Asami, she raised a questioning eyebrow while asking, "So...What do you want to do first?"

The industrialist shrugged, "I-...I'm not sure. I'm kind of tired after everything today, with the wedding and all that. Think we could camp out here?"

Although a bit saddened at the fact she'd have to wait to show Asami anything, she didn't want to push the other too much; it _was _supposed to be Asami's own vacation, after all. "Yeah, of course." She threw in a soft smile for good measure.

Asami gave a nod in return and tossed her bag on the ground, unpacking her sleeping mat and laying it over a patch of grass as Korra did the same with hers. Taking off her boots and her workshop jacket, she let down her hair and laid on her mat while exhaling a contented, relaxed sigh. "I'm _so _ready to just sit back, and relax."

Korra laid on her side and propped her head up with her arm so that she could still look at Asami as they talked, "Me too."

* * *

><p>They ended up talking, laughing, and relaxing for the longest time, and they couldn't even try to keep track of it all. Before they knew it, they had already tired themselves out from talking, seeing as Asami started to yawn with every sentence she spoke.<p>

"You know…" Korra started once Asami let out another yawn, "You don't have to stay up to talk to me. We can sleep now."

The emerald-eyed girl could only nod, as she was already yawning again, and she shifted on her mat to get more situated to sleep, "Right.. Goodnight, Korra."

"Night, 'Sami." Korra said with a deep breath, slumping down on her own sleeping mat.

In the silence, Asami turned on her side and closed her eyes, steadying her breathing so that she could eventually drift into sleep. She was well on her way to doing so, but chills suddenly crept through her spine, and she let out a shaky, shivering breath. She curled in more to contain any warmth, yet nothing seemed to be working. As a last resort, Asami slowly sat up and turned towards Korra, placing a gentle hand on her arm.

"Hey," she said, squeezing the other's arm slightly, "You still awake?"

Drowsily, Korra peered over her shoulder at Asami, but she turned more alert once realizing something was up, "Yeah. Can't sleep?"

Asami shook her head, "It's kinda- uh, I'm kind of cold." She let out with a nervous laugh.

"Oh," the Avatar rolled on to her back and propped herself up with her arms, "Do you need me to make a fire, or..?"

"Actually, can I just-" Asami started to lose wind midway through her sentence, but eventually she managed to mumble out, "..lay here?" Her gaze drifted along the ground and her cheeks reddened.

Blinking a few times, Korra gradually gave a soft smile, scooting over to give the other room, "Of course."

The older girl laid down and nestled herself in Korra's arms, resting her head on the other's chest and her hand on Korra's stomach while she whispered something along the lines of a flustered 'thank you'.

Korra, in turn, wrapped her arms around the industrialist and exhaled a content sigh, glancing down at Asami with a grin, "Better now?"

Asami nodded, nuzzling closer with a blissful hum as the chills began to subside. This time, when she tried to drift into sleep, it managed to actually work.

* * *

><p>When Korra awoke, it wasn't entirely the way she had pictured it before. Her one side was scorching hot, and Asami was grimacing while letting out pained groans. It took a moment for her half-asleep mind to piece things together, but she eventually realized that the searing-hot sensation on her side was actually coming from the raven-haired girl sleeping beside her. Korra was undoubtedly concerned as she shook the other in attempt to wake her.<p>

"Asami?" She asked. No response. "Hey, hey. Come on, wake up!" She was met with more groans, but that was better than silence. "Hold on, I'm gonna get you help!"

Slipping out of Asami's grasp, Korra hurriedly threw on her shoes before lifting the engineer off from the mat and holding her - bridal style. The Avatar focused on a certain location she knew very well within the Spirit World, and once she opened her eyes, they were already travelling at incredible speeds towards the mountains. A teashop came into view, and Korra adjusted her grip on Asami as she started running towards it.

"Iroh!" Korra called in what seemed like a desperate plea, hoping that the elderly man was around, "Please, I need your help!" She let out a sigh of relief when she saw him walking out of his shop.

"Ah, Korra. What seems to be the issue?" Iroh asked while approaching the Avatar, curious and concerned.

"It's my friend, Asami!" Her voice was teeming with worry as she spoke, "We planned on going on a vacation in the Spirit World, and when we finally got here, she just started burning up like crazy!"

Iroh's eyes widened considerably at the revelation, and he waved towards the teashop, "Oh, dear… Come. We'll care for her inside."

Korra nodded and made her way inside, where Iroh set down a mat for Korra to place Asami. Draping a blanket over the nonbender's body, the old male turned towards Korra with a furrowed brow.

"I believe I might have a faint idea of what is occurring with your friend." He said, eyes trained on the ground in thought.

She blinked, surprised, "R-Really? What is it?"

"One moment. It shall become clear momentarily." With that, Iroh went over into the kitchen of his teashop and started to brew a diverse concoction of tea. He returned seconds later with his sleeve covering his nose and mouth, and he waved the cup over Asami's body so that the scent of the tea carried over to her.

Asami drew in a large inhale, and then erupted into a frantic coughing fit which ended with a stream of green embers bursting from her mouth. Her eyes didn't open after the fire, however, but she let out another groan as her head rested back against the mat again.

Korra's mouth fell agape in awe, and Iroh noted the surprisal when he returned after disposing of the tea, "I'm assuming that this is not something that has happened before."

"Not at all… She was the furthest thing from a bender for all of her life, but- but _now_…" Her words trailed off as she shook her head in disbelief, "How did you know?"

"My nephew went through a similar experience when he was a young boy. An inner turmoil haunted him and rendered him incredibly sick while we were in the Earth Kingdom." Iroh explained, stroking at his beard.

"But.." Korra's eyebrow twitched in confusion, "That doesn't explain how you knew she was a firebender, and where does this 'inner turmoil' have to do with it?"

"I can sense a spiritual imbalance within her, and I believe that her body is rejecting the bending abilities it has received."

"So, her body rejecting the firebending is where this 'inner turmoil' is coming from?" Korra asked, tilting her head.

Iroh nodded, "I believe so. Perhaps her mind wishes that she had not received firebending."

Hanging her head, the waterbender let out a sigh, "Firebending has always been sort of a...touchy subject with her. Her mother was…" She raised her head to lock eyes with the old man, and her eyes were filled with sadness, "killed by a firebender."

He exhaled a deep breath, nodding, "I see… That could certainly be a cause of this all…"

"Do you think she'll recover soon?" She questioned with worry in her voice.

"Now that," Iroh's eyes wandered towards Asami and softened at the sight of the sick girl, "is something that only she could answer."

* * *

><p>When her eyes fluttered open, she was met with violet flowers scattered as far as the eye could see. The scenery was just as stunning as the first time she had laid eyes on it. She couldn't help but smile as she turned to the sleeping body beside her and nudged the other gently.<p>

"Hey, Korra. Wake up. I wanna get to all those places that you wanted to show me last night." Asami said, nudging Korra a bit more when she stubbornly refused to move. However, it was taking an abnormally long time for the Avatar to wake, and Asami was beginning to worry.

She didn't have much time to worry before the violet flowers around her suddenly caught ablaze, blinding Asami with their abrupt combustion. Once her vision cleared, she looked down at Korra, terrified, but was surprised to see that the body in front of her did not belong to Korra, and that they were no longer in the Spirit World. No, it was the Sato Estate where they were at, and Asami was with her unconscious mother who was barely breathing.

It all played out exactly how it did that day. Everything was aflame, and her mother was holding on to her fleeting remnants of life with everything she had. Asami could hear faint sirens in the distance, but it didn't matter. Nothing would change how help would always arrive to the scene late. However, one thing was different; Asami wasn't a kid in this rendition of the nightmare, yet she still found herself paralyzed by fear.

The Triads still lingered around the estate, pocketing everything in sight, and every few moments Asami could see the light from the fire illuminating a running mobster. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get herself to move to fight the intruders; she was frozen in place as she stared into the orange blaze surrounding her. The mere sight of it was enough to get her heart racing and her breathing panicked. The firebenders prancing around the estate wasn't helping her calm down, either.

Before she knew it, one of the mobsters had approached Asami and her mother, and he had a malicious look in his eye, "They're still alive!"

The rest of the Triad members appeared at the sound of the one's voice, and all of their eyes were trained on Asami, "Take 'em out!"

The raven-haired girl gasped as a collective mass of fire hurtled her way, and in a complete act of desperation, she heaved her arms up and over her head to defend herself, surprised to see that it spawned a wall of lime fire that blocked the orange blaze. Her face contorted into utter shock at the sight of her firebending, but she didn't have much time to dwell on it before more balls of fire were launched her way.

Finding the courage to move, she got to her feet and started to swerve out of the trajectory of each fire blast, and once she found an opening, she swung her fist forwards to start countering with blasts of her own. Asami hadn't expected a lot of recoil from such a simple blast, so she stumbled back a bit because of it, much to the amusement of the firebending Triads.

"Aww, cute! She think she can firebend like us, that weakling!"

"Yeah, but did you see that fire?! It was green!"

"Your eyes are broken. There ain't no way she can bend green fire. Now, dispose of her and the mother!"

Their brash comments awoke the dormant fighting spirit within Asami, and with her usual resolve, she rushed forwards and crouched to the ground once getting closer, spinning with an extended leg to launch a crescent of fire at the mobsters. It pushed the majority of them off their feet, and they were knocked out through hitting their heads on the hard ground when they fell. The remaining two charged her and unleashed shots of fire towards Asami, but she created two of her own and directed them at the opposing ones, causing a minor explosion when they collided which forced the two Triads into the wall and rendering them unconscious. With the mobsters down, Asami drew in the fire remaining in the house and willed it to dissipate in the air before she settled down next to her mother.

"Asami…" Her mother started, voice weakened and pained; her time was limited.

"I know, Mom." The emerald-eyed girl breathed, pulling the other into a tight embrace, "You're safe now. Don't worry."

Maybe fire of her own wouldn't be _too _bad, if she could use it to protect others.

* * *

><p>Asami opened her eyes languidly, allowing a soft groan to pass through her lips as she sat up. Placing a hand on her head, she slowly glanced around and realized that she was inside a teashop, not the field of flowers where she was before she fell asleep.<p>

She managed to spot Korra with her disoriented vision, "What happened?" Asami asked groggily.

Korra gasped in surprise, but she quickly smiled soon after while she swooped in for a hug, "Asami! You're awake!" The Avatar said before pulling away, "And you're not burning up anymore!"

Asami's eyebrows raised in confusion, "I had a fever?"

"A bad one. You had me worried there." The younger female laughed sheepishly, rubbing at the back of her neck.

"That...kind of explains why I was so cold last night. Huh." Stretching and letting out a yawn, Asami rose to her feet, rubbing her eyes, "You'll never believe the, uh, the dream I had last night. Well, it wasn't really a dream- more like a nightmare, but still. It was crazy."

Hearing the word 'nightmare' caused an uneasy feeling to creep through the Avatar, and she immediately placed a hand on the other's shoulder, "Nightmare? Is there something wrong?"

"No- well, yes. Sort of, but that's beside the point." The industrialist waved off Korra's concerns before resuming, "I was _firebending_. And the fire was green, too. It made no sense."

Korra shot Asami an odd look, narrowing her eyes then smacking her lips awkwardly, "Well, uh-" Her gaze drifted off to the side for a bit, but Korra focused it back on Asami, "You actually did, er… While you were asleep, you kind of...firebended...and it was green fire."

"_What?!_" The raven-haired girl gave Korra an utterly shocked look before shaking her head, "No, that's impossible. I can't bend. And I don't think you can bend asleep, either."

"No, you gotta believe me! I saw it with my own eyes!" The Avatar stood her ground, trying to prove her case, "It happened!"

"Yeah, sure thing, Korra. Now, can we get back to our vaca-" When Asami tried to dismiss Korra's ludacris claims with a wave, she accidentally forged a small arch of fire with the motion. Her emerald eyes widened, and her mouth fell agape at the sight, "Oh, _god…_"

"See?!" Korra balled her hands into fists, and she jumped a bit in her place, "I'm not crazy!"

Asami stared in disbelief at her hand, desperately trying to search in her mind for some sort of explanation or to see if she had been imagining it all, "I _can _firebend.."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I saw a few other stories like this while I was writing this one, but I still wanted to get my ideas out and wrap this one up (This took a long time to write due to writer's block, and all. Whoops). Due to the cliffhanger-ish ending of this one, I've been thinking of making this into more of a series of chapters looking into Asami's experiences with firebending following the vacation into the Spirit World. I got one other idea already, and it's pretty drama-rific (and will better incorporate the hesitance and fear of firebending Asami had in the fic, plus the nightmare), so if I get some interest in this, I can work on it. But for now, I think this is decent enough for a standalone one-shot. Maybe. Probably. Idk. Just enjoy. ^~^**


	2. The Fear

"I _can _firebend.." The worlds quietly slipped out of her mouth in the astonishment of it all. Looking for some sort of reasoning behind this paranormal event, Asami turned to the waterbender beside her.

"Don't you see? This is great!" Korra excitedly latched on to Asami's arm, shaking it gently, "The spike in spiritual energy from the creation of the Spirit Portal must've given you bending!"

The engineer wrenched herself free of the other's grip with her face filled with horror, "No, not great! I don't want bending, let alone firebending! I was _perfectly _fine with my nonbender life, thank you!"

Picking up on Asami's discomfort, Korra immediately softened and spoke more calmly in an attempt to empathize with her, "Look, I know about your past with firebending and all, but I think this could be good for you-"

Asami interjected before the Avatar could continue any further, "_Good _for me? I doubt it. There's nothing in my life now that can be improved with bending. I don't need it, nor do I _want _it."

"Well, for starters," Korra shrugged awkwardly, smiling a goofy grin, "you won't feel cold again like you did last night…?"

"I had a fever. That's different."

"...Yeah, got that, but I still think you should at least give it a chance. I mean, come on! _Green _fire? No one's heard of that before! There's always been a select few with blue fire, but never green! _That's _something to be proud of, isn't it?" She tried her hardest to make the best out of the situation, even if Asami was extremely reluctant about it.

The raven-haired girl visibly hesitated for a second before she let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes and shaking her head, "Everyone thought that Lady Azula was unique in the sense that she could bend blue fire, that is, until the Fire Lord displayed the technique as well. Someone else is bound to bend green fire some day, and they'd be far more deserving of being the first than I am. Just…" Asami's voice quieted, and she hung her head, "take it away. _Please_."

"_Hey_," Voice calm yet assertive, Korra gently took Asami's hand in both of hers, squeezing them tightly, "Let's just… Let's see Fire Lord Izumi first. Please. Talk to her first, and if you're still insistent on me taking your bending away, I'll do it. I promise."

Asami gave her a troubled look, but she eventually voiced her compliance, "...Alright, fine. I can do that much." She paused for a second, resuming a few moments later, "Wait, but what about our vacation?"

"We can come back right after." Korra smiled warmly, "Or, we can check out the Fire Nation. I've always wondered what it's like there."

"Sounds fine with me." Although slightly disheartened at the fact her vacation was interrupted by this horrible inconvenience, the affirmation that they could return later was relieving enough for Asami.

With that, they bid Iroh farewell, and started on their journey to the Fire Nation.

* * *

><p>Within a few hours of flying, the duo had already landed at the Royal Palace, and were met with the guards who were to take them to the Fire Lord's chambers.<p>

As soon as Asami stepped foot in the chamber, she could see and hear the cackling of blue fire embellishing the torches in the room, and although it was far less threatening than how the chamber was structured in the Hundred Year War, she still felt an uneasy feeling well in her stomach. She absentmindedly latched on to one of Korra's arms as they walked towards the throne.

"Avatar Korra," Fire Lord Izumi stated with an aura of authority and composure, "it's a pleasure to finally and formally make your acquaintance."

Korra gently removed her arm from Asami's grasp to give the Fire Lord the respectful bow, and Asami joined in. When the waterbender raised her head, she kept a small yet expressive smile, "Fire Lord Izumi, the honor is all mine."

"While such formalities are appreciated, they are extraneous. Your predecessor and I were close friends, and I would not object to a similar companionship with you, Korra. You as well, Miss Sato." Izumi said, letting them at ease.

Korra slowly nodded as she eventually came to understand the Fire Lord's immense vocabulary, standing upright, "Right, of course."

Izumi cleared her throat, clasping her hands together and adjusting her posture, "To address the matters at hand, I could not help but grow concerned at the sudden request to visit. Is all faring well?"

"Well, uh.." The Avatar struggled to find the words to explain everything that was going on, "My friend here is, erm, having a bit of an issue. You see, during the fight with Kuvira in Republic City, things got a little out of hand and-" Catching herself mid-sentence as she was about to go off on a huge tangent, Korra took in a deep breath, "Long story, but my friend received firebending due to a spiritual phenomenon and she's being stubborn about it all."

The older woman raised a curious and confused brow, perplexed at such an odd recount, "...Apologies, but I do not believe I understand. Where do you require my assistance?" Her eyes wandered over toward Asami, who was staring into the blue flames adorning the torches on the chamber wall, which only added to her confusion.

"She's kind of...afraid of fire, and she really does not want to have firebending. But, you see, her fire is _green_, and I really think she could go far with it. Think you can help an Avatar out here?" Korra shot the Fire Lord a nervous grin.

Raising her chin upon understanding, Izumi nodded to signify her cooperation, "Ah, duly noted. I shall promise my best endeavor." She trained her gaze on the distant engineer before separating her hands, igniting a bright flame in a sole palm to garner Asami's attention, "Miss Sato."

The raven-haired girl's eyes immediately caught sight of the flame, snapping out of her daze with a gasp while turning to face the older woman, "Yes, Fire Lord Izumi?" She said with slight hesitance, eyes yet again focusing on the flames rather than the woman.

"Miss Sato, it is considered discourteous to not establish eye-contact while conversing. Focus on me, not the flame." Izumi stated, expression stern and pressing.

Sharply inhaling at being called out for her actions, Asami straightened herself out and let out a breath to calm herself and to regain her usual composure, "Of course. I apologize for not doing so."

As she curled her fingers in and augmented the size and brightness of the flame, the Fire Lord rose from the throne and stepped down on to the same level as the duo before her, "Word says you have been given a gift, one of which you are not grateful for. Do enlighten me on your reasoning for such."

"I do not find myself deserving of it." She kept her statements terse.

"Why so?"

"There are others who are more worthy than I am."

Izumi took a few steps closer to the industrialist, "Again, why so?"

"It would be wasted on someone as unwilling as I am."

The older woman found herself mildly intrigued. "Do elaborate."

Asami drew in another deep breath, "I don't want to become like the others."

"You do not wish to be like whom, exactly?"

"The dastardly criminals who murdered my mother when I was just a _kid_."

_So _that's _where the fear must lie, _thought Izumi. "I see… Fair enough." She said, turning back to her throne. Just as Korra was about to intervene and question the effectiveness of her questioning, the Fire Lord abruptly spun around and hurtled the fire within her palm at the unsuspecting industrialist.

Asami's emerald eyes widened as the fire drew close, initially stumbling and falling back while trying to run from the attack, so to protect herself, she kicked up a defense of her own fire mid-fall to intercept Izumi's blue flames. She sat up after crashing against the ground, furrowing her brow, "What on _earth _was that supposed to be?!"

Only moments later did another burst of blue fire emerge by Izumi's doing, and it was used in a continuous stream aimed toward the raven-haired girl. To defend herself again, Asami conjured her own stream of fire, albeit an amateurish one. Seeing as the engineer's defense began to falter, Korra immediately started to run to her aid, but Izumi ceased fire before Korra could get any closer to Asami.

"Desist, Avatar Korra!" The Fire Lord demanded, and in a brief moment's decision, she hurtled one burst of fire the Avatar's way. Too focused on Asami, Korra was ultimately vulnerable to the attack, and that was something Asami could easily see.

"KORRA!" Pushing back her fear and reluctance, Asami ran directly into the line of fire and created a wall large enough to protect both herself and Korra. Once the fire dissipated into the air, Asami turned towards Izumi, the rage apparent on her features. Yet, that rage turned into confusion once seeing the Fire Lord raising her hands in a surrender.

"I have no need to continue. I implore you lower your guard." Izumi stated.

"Then what was the point? Did you just feel like attacking me, _and _Korra?!" Denouncing composure, the engineer continued to raise her voice.

The slightest of smiles curved the older woman's lips, "It was an assessment. I endeavored to vanquish your fear of fire. Considering the fact that you so selflessly defended the Avatar, I do mark that as a success."

"Was all that really necessary?" Korra said from behind Asami, both a bit confused and irritated.

"Perchance not. 'Twas merely the first methodology that came to mind." Izumi rose her shoulders in a shrug.

"Actually," Asami started, turning towards the Avatar behind her, "it might have actually worked." She let out a brief, nervous laugh.

"That- That's great!" Unable to contain her enthusiasm, Korra wrapped her arms around the other and heaved her into the air in an excited hug.

"Wait-" interjected Asami, causing her to be set back down on the ground, "Just because the fear is gone, doesn't mean I still want to be a firebender." She shot a glance out of the corner of her eye towards Izumi.

Placing her hands behind her back, the Fire Lord nodded in understanding, "Conceivable. Resentment does not simply fade in a mere minute's worth of time. All I can impart is a few words of advice, and perhaps even some opinions of my own, but ultimately, I cannot influence your beliefs any more than I already have."

Letting out a deep breath, Asami hesitantly beckoned for the older woman to continue, "I'm listening."

"I believe that your perception of the element is the reasoning behind your disdain for firebending. There are ruins located north of the mainland that might give you enlightenment regarding the element, and that could sway your views and convince you to keep the bending bestowed upon you."

"I..._suppose _we could pay the ruins a visit." The industrialist turned to the younger girl, an eyebrow raised, "What do you say?"

Korra shrugged in response, "It'll give us something to do."

"Wonderful to hear. I shan't keep you waiting any longer. Avatar Korra, Miss Sato, I bid you farewell." Fire Lord Izumi bowed her head in a goodbye.

Asami and Korra both bowed in return, and the former sent the older Fire Nation Royal an appreciative nod, "Thank you for your assistance."

"It was of no trouble." As the duo began to make their exit, Izumi spoke up one final time, "Oh, and Miss Sato?"

"Hmm?"

"You have a gift. A rare and beauteous one, at that. Do not take it for granted."

A bit startled at first, Asami gradually formed a soft smile for the Fire Lord, "I won't."

And so, Asami and Korra started off for the northern islands, searching for the ruins Izumi spoke of - the ruins of the ancient city of the Sun Warriors.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you for the follows and reviews! With this chapter completed, I just want to say sorry real quick here for the lack of Korrasami. I promise it'll be more prominent in the next chapter. I wanted to have Asami start to overcome her fears first before the romance starts to develop more, which is why I added Izumi into the story (and for those who are wondering where I got her personality from, I totally based her off of Miriel from Fire Emblem. They're splitting images of each other). Asami still has a lot of learning to do before she can truly appreciate the bending she's received, so I hope that Izumi was a step in the right direction for that. I'll have the next chapter up in the next couple of days, and it'll be filled with Korrasami and A:TLA nostalgia, so stay tuned!**


	3. The Exploration

The search for the ruins Fire Lord Izumi mentioned turned out to be harder than Asami and Korra had both expected, and they were still scouting for the abandoned city hours later. Oogi, who they had borrowed from Tenzin before they left for the Fire Nation, was already beginning to signs of fatigue.

Korra, at the reins, affectionately scratched his head once he let out a tired grunt, "Just a little bit longer, Oogi. We'll take a break after. Promise."

On the other hand, Asami already seemed defeated at their lack of progress in finding anything. She let out a sigh and rested her chin on her hand, overlooking the side of the saddle, "We must've taken a wrong turn somewhere. I doubt we'd find anything any time soon. We should just take a break now."

"Well, _that's _new." Korra commented, turning her head to the side to catch Asami out of the corner of her eye and blinking a bit in confusion.

"What's new? Did you find something?"

"No, I'm talking about you. I've never seen you so defeated and...pessimistic before. Is everything alright?" Her face instantly became more sympathetic as she turned around fully to face the other.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just," Asami let out another sigh, covering her face with her hands, "_really _tired. The whole thing with Fire Lord Izumi- it drained me."

Korra nodded and she focused back on the path, tightening her grip on Oogi's reins, "Then we can definitely take a break now. Sorry, I wouldn't have suggested searching longer if I had known how tired you were."

Asami crawled over to the edge of the saddle that was closest to Korra, draping her crossed arms over the side of it, "Don't be. I mean, you're the one that's been helping me through this all, so I should really be the one apologizing."

"Aw, don't say that. You've helped me out a lot when I was recovering from my fight with Zaheer. I'm just glad I'm able to return the favor." Korra shot the firebender a warm grin with her eyes closed, and Asami swore she felt herself melt at the sight.

All she could do in return is flash a soft smile of her own before she noticed something off in the distance, "Hey, are those the ruins?" She said, pointing to the approaching site.

"Huh?" Korra glanced over towards the direction that Asami was pointing, and she narrowed her eyes to get a closer look, "I think they are… That way, Oogi."

At the command, the bison made its way towards the abandoned city, settling down in the outskirts. Asami and Korra both disembarked from the bison, and Asami immediately slumped down on the ground with her back leaning on Oogi's side. Korra situated herself next to her, but at a respectable distance.

"We can start exploring the ruins soon. I only need a moment." Asami said, closing her eyes and resting her head further into the bison's soft fur.

"If you wanna rest, then rest. We can take all the time that you need." Korra said in a persistent, yet assuring tone. "I know that bending can drain ya' the first time around. Trust me." She threw in a laugh to lighten the air.

Luckily for Korra, it worked; a smile tugged at the sides of the industrialist's painted lips, and she nudged the Avatar playfully, "Thanks, Korra."

"Anything for you, Asami." There was a certain tone - a certain depth to her words stronger than Korra initially had planned for, but that didn't detract from the fact that she meant it from her very core.

"Heh, you're too sweet sometimes." Asami said with a jocular tone in her voice before letting out a contented sigh, "Wake me up in an hour, alright?" She breathed, situating herself more comfortably to prepare for a nap.

"Sure thing." Korra affectionately gave the other a punch on the shoulder with a soft laugh, leaving Asami to get to her rest.

* * *

><p>In the time that Asami was asleep, Korra had taken the chance to feed Oogi and organize their belongings for the stuff that they'd need while examining the ruins. She figured that they could leave majority of their things with Oogi, and take only the bare minimum along with them. Sunfall would be among them in a few hours, so they'd have to return to sleep anyway. It seemed logical enough for the Avatar.<p>

Judging by where the sun was located compared to when Asami had fallen asleep, Korra felt as if an hour's time had passed, so she kneeled down next to the sleeping ravenette and shook her shoulder softly, "Hey, Asami. The hour's up. Still feel like exploring the place?"

Asami let out a quiet groan as she woke, slowly opening her eyes, "..Hmm, Korra?" She said sleepily, blinking a few times to align her gaze on the other, "Oh, right. Yeah, of course. Just give me a second."

Korra nodded, giving the engineer some space to wake up fully. Her blue eyes never left the other, and she couldn't help but think that even when half-awake, Asami still managed to have a certain beauty to her. The Avatar shook her head and focused her gaze on the ground, wondering where those thoughts were coming from.

She was snapped from her thoughts by Asami's voice, and Korra noted how she already was on her feet and stretching, despite waking only a few seconds prior, "Ready?" Asami asked as she let her arms drop to her sides from stretching.

"That was quick." The younger girl found herself commenting while standing up, "Yeah. I packed our things while you were asleep, if that's okay. I hope it'll do for today."

Asami flashed a brief smile, tilting her head to the side slightly, "I'm sure it's fine, Korra. Thank you."

Rubbing at the back of her neck, Korra waved her hand dismissively, sporting a sheepish smile, "It was nothing, really." She then made her way over to their bags, picking up hers and Asami's as well, "Er, here." In an act of chivalry, she helped the older girl slip the bag on her shoulders for the sake of it.

"Thanks." Asami said, adjusting the straps and starting for the ruins, "Let's go."

Korra quickly slung her bag over her shoulder and jogged to catch up with the onyx-haired girl, letting out an audible exhale once reaching the other's side, "So, where shall we check first?"

"Well…" Asami brought a hand to her chin in thought, lifting a curious eyebrow, "Considering the fact that there is a huge ziggurat in the middle of the city, that might be a good place to start."

"Ziggur-what?" Korra turned to the city, noticing the huge pyramid-like structure that was a few hundred yards in front of them, "Oh, that thing. Yeah, sounds good with me."

They continued to walk forward in silence, but it wasn't one they felt uncomfortable with. About halfway to the first flight of stairs, Asami had a few feet between herself and Korra due to the latter stopping for a drink of water. Because of such, when Asami's foot snagged on a wire and subjected herself to a fall in a newly-revealed pit of spikes, Korra was able to secure the other's wrist mid-fall and pull her back on to flat ground. However, when she did, she pulled a bit too hard, causing Asami to fall on her instead and sending them both crashing into the ground. They both scrambled to get up, but when Asami pushed herself up off of Korra with her hands still planted on the ground, their faces came to be in a very close proximity with each other.

It was hard for them to judge how long they had stayed like that, as their widened eyes were locked with each other's and they became oblivious to life around them. It wasn't until Asami's lips subconsciously parted and her gaze drifted briefly to Korra's lips that they both grew too flustered to remain as such, and they hurriedly separated from each other.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" The industrialist started, straightening out her jacket to give her an excuse not to look Korra in the eye since her face was beet-red, "I got careless there… Thanks for catching me."

The Avatar was still on the ground, but she was able to sit up now that Asami moved off of her, "N-No, it's fine, really… I pulled a little too hard, and-" She cut herself off mid-sentence, glancing over towards the spike pit, "Let's just...get back to exploring...yeah."

Asami cleared her throat, turning towards the pit as well, "Yeah.. It seems as if this place is filled with traps. Whatever this enlightenment is, someone _obviously _doesn't want us finding it." Her gaze drifted to Korra, who was getting to her feet, "Why do you think Izumi sent us to such a dangerous place?"

Korra merely shrugged with an unsure expression, placing her hands on her hips, "Must be some pretty valuable message in here that makes it all worth it. Anyways.." Getting herself into a bending stance, she raised her arms to her sides, "We should focus on crossing this pi-" When Korra focused back on Asami, she saw the other backing up and breaking into a run to cross the spike pit with a jump and a precisely-timed kick off the wall to get her the remaining distance, "...Nevermind then." With a brief spout of air, Korra got herself to the other side so that she could join Asami, "Nice work."

Acknowledging the praise with a simple nod, the raven-haired engineer focused back on the path, narrowing her eyes, "There could be more traps. Watch out."

"Yeah, gotcha." Korra nodded in response, starting for the staircase again.

Luckily for the duo, there were no other traps between the spike pit and the flight of stairs, and they made it to the clearing midway to the top of the ziggurat. There, Korra and Asami found a worn mural, one of a man being engulfed in the flames of two dragons.

"Do...Do you think this is it?" Asami asked, tilting her head in curiosity while she tried to decode the meaning of the mural.

"Uh…" The Avatar gave a half-hearted shrug, just as confused as the other was, "Maybe? I don't know. Do you have any idea what this thing is trying'ta say?"

Even with the gears in her head turning vigorously, Asami didn't have much to offer in regards to its meaning, "It's just...violence. I don't get how this is supposed to be 'enlightening' or 'mind-changing,' as Izumi put it."

"Maybe we just need to think a little harder." Korra said in an attempt to keep Asami's spirits up, "Besides, there's still the top of this pyramid to explore. There could be more to it up there."

"Yeah, good point. Let's go."

At the base of the steps, Korra felt her foot sink in slightly with one of the stones, but she figured it was merely due to its age that they were loose. Continuing on, about three-quarters of the ways up the stairs, Asami couldn't help but hear an odd ticking noise that was speeding up with each passing second.

"...Do you hear that, or is it just me?"

"Hear what?" Just as she said it, the ticking reached its fastest speed, and Korra's face went wrought with worry, "...Oh, _that…_"

Suddenly, it stopped, and Asami blinked a few times, wondering if anything had happened, "Well, that's...odd-"

The stairs flattened against the side of the pyramid as soon as she stopped speaking, and the space Korra and Asami were standing on turned into a slide that would send them back to the base of the stairs.

"Korra!" Asami shouted, desperately trying to latch on to something to stop the descent, "Do something!"

"Hang on!" Kicking out a slab of the stone stairs to stop the two from further sliding down, Korra then used the platform they were on to scale back up the stairs and to the next clearing.

"Okay, that settles it…" Asami started, straightening out her hair and clothes, "Someone _really _does not want us to find whatever it is they're hiding."

"This _has _to be something good if they're going that far to hide it. Speaking of which, what on earth is this?" The waterbending girl gestured towards the circle on the ground in front of them, as well as the pillar with the ruby at the top of it.

Bringing her hand to her chin in thought, the engineer inspected the site, noticing the red dot in the circle, "It's one of those sun calendars. I don't think the door will open unless the dot hits the other ruby on top of the door."

"Let me guess, it only opens on the summer solstice?"

"Probably. Don't worry, I think I have an idea to cheat the system."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Gimme a sec." Rummaging through her bag, Asami pulled out her compact mirror and opened it, using it as a way to manipulate the red light on to the ruby on the door. Moments later, the door slowly opened, allowing the two to slip in before it gradually closed again.

"Now I have another reason to be glad that you always wear makeup." Korra said with a playful smile.

"_Another _reason?" Asami raised an eyebrow, smirking as she let out a laugh.

"What? It- heh, it suits you." Her nervous grin rewarded her with a nudge to her shoulder from the engineer as they walked towards the statues inside.

"Now, _this _looks like something worthwhile." The ravenette commented as she examined the relics, "The Dancing Dragon… This might be some sort of firebending form."

Kneeling down to look at the cracks in the floor, Korra realized that they were actually pressure-pads that followed the steps of the form, "And it might just be our key forward… Come on, I think we need to copy the statues on step on these tiles. It might do something."

Asami glanced down, noticing the tiles beneath her, then she looked back at the statues, "Alright.." Mimicking the first pose, she turned her head over to Korra, who was doing the same in front of the other statue, "May I have this dance, Avatar Korra?" She teased, raising a flirtatious and enticing eyebrow.

Korra smiled a smug grin, growing equally as playful, "Only if you can keep up, Miss Sato."

Proceeding onward in following the steps laid out by the statues, Korra and Asami reached the end of the form and joined their fists together in the final move, and as the last of the pressure-pads were activated, a pedestal rose in the center of the room. On it, there was a golden egg-like stone.

"Really? An egg? _That's_ our reward?" said Asami with an irritated tone.

"Like a golden egg's not suspicious or anything. Who knows what trap disaster that could be.." Letting out a sigh, Korra glanced around to see if there was anything else for them to look at inside the room, and eventually she saw the gate on the ceiling, "Let's get out of here. Call me crazy, but it feels as if that egg is alive…" Shuddering, the Avatar metalbended the gate to provide an opening, and she latched on to Asami's waist as she propelled herself and Asami out of the room with an air spout.

"Well," Asami said, exhaling a sigh, "It's getting dark, so we should probably head back to Oogi for the night. Besides, I think we're done here."

"It's a shame we couldn't find anything super enlightening around here.. I wonder why Izumi thought there was something to find here." Korra shrugged, starting to walk back to where they had camp.

However, before the two could get very far, they were stopped by a harsh voice. "Halt! Who goes there?!"

Turning around, Korra and Asami noticed that they were surrounded, on the roof and below on the clearing.

"How dare you trespass on our grounds!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the long wait, guys. I got a bit lazy with updating. I don't have much to add to this other than the obligatory thank you's for all the follows, favorites, and reviews, and that I really enjoyed writing the tension and awkwardness in Korra and Asami's relationship here. More to come in these next couple of days! Enjoy, and stay tuned!**


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